Combined Regulation of Neural Cell Production

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a method of selectively producing neural cells, including neurons or glial cells, in vitro or in vivo. Also provided are methods of treating or ameliorating neurodegenerative disease or medical conditions by producing neural cells. Thus, a combination of factors is used to achieve two steps: increasing the number of neural stem cells and instructing the neural stem cells to selectively become neurons or glial cells.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/316,365, filed Aug. 30, 2001; Ser. No. 60/316,579, filed Aug. 31,2001; Ser. No. 60/322,514, filed Sep. 14, 2001; and Ser. No. 60/386,404,filed Jun. 7, 2002. The entire disclosure of each of these priorityapplications is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method of selectively producing neuralcells, such as neurons or glial cells, in vitro or in vivo. Alsoprovided are methods of treating or ameliorating neurodegenerativedisease or medical conditions by producing neural cells.

REFERENCES

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All of the publications, patents and patent applications cited above orelsewhere in this application are herein incorporated by reference intheir entirety to the same extent as if the disclosure of eachindividual publication, patent application or patent was specificallyand individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In recent years, neurodegenerative disease has become an importantconcern due to the expanding elderly population which is at greatestrisk for these disorders. Neurodegenerative diseases include thediseases which have been linked to the degeneration of neural cells inparticular locations of the central nervous system (CNS), leading to theinability of these cells to carry out their intended function. Thesediseases include Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS),Huntington's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and Parkinson'sDisease. In addition, probably the largest area of CNS dysfunction (withrespect to the number of affected people) is not characterized by a lossof neural cells but rather by abnormal functioning of existing neuralcells. This may be due to inappropriate firing of neurons, or theabnormal synthesis, release, and processing of neurotransmitters. Thesedysfunctions may be the result of well studied and characterizeddisorders such as depression and epilepsy, or less understood disorderssuch as neurosis and psychosis. Moreover, brain injuries often result inthe loss of neural cells, the inappropriate functioning of the affectedbrain region, and subsequent behavior abnormalities.

Consequently, it is desirable to supply neural cells to the brain tocompensate for degenerate or lost neurons/glial cells in order to treatneurodegenerative diseases or conditions. One approach to this end is totransplant neural cells into the brain of the patient. This approachrequires a source of large amounts of neural cells, preferably from thesame individual or a closely related individual such thathost-versus-graft or graft-versus-host rejections can be minimized. Asit is not practical to remove a large amount of neurons or glial cellsfrom one person to transplant to another, a method to culture largequantity of neural cells is necessary for the success of this approach.

Another approach is to induce the production of neural cells in situ tocompensate for the lost or degenerate cells. This approach requiresextensive knowledge about whether it is possible to produce neural cellsin brains, particularly adult brains, and how.

The development of techniques for the isolation and in vitro culture ofmultipotent neural stem cells (for example, see U.S. Pat. Nos.5,750,376; 5,980,885; 5,851,832) significantly increased the outlook forboth approaches. It was discovered that fetal brains can be used toisolate and culture multipotent neural stem cells in vitro. Moreover, incontrast to the long time belief that adult brain cells are not capableof replicating or regenerating brain cells, it was found that neuralstem cells may also be isolated from brains of adult mammals. These stemcells, either from fetal or adult brains, are capable ofself-replicating. The progeny cells can again proliferate ordifferentiate into any cell in the neural cell lineage, includingneurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Therefore, these findings notonly provide a source of neural cells which can be used intransplantations, but also demonstrate the presence of multipotentneural stem cells in adult brain and the possibility of producingneurons or glial cells from these stem cells in situ.

It is therefore desirable to develop methods of efficientlyproliferating neural stem cells for two purposes: to obtain more stemcells and hence neural cells which can be used in transplantationtherapies, and to identify methods which can be used to produce morestem cells in situ.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a two-step method of producing neural cells invitro or in vivo. We discovered that neurogenesis and gliogenesis bymultipotent neural stem cells (NSCs) involve proliferation and directeddifferentiation. As shown in FIG. 1, EGF (or its adult homolog TGFα)induces the self-renewal/expansion of the NSC population. The NSCs willundergo-spontaneous differentiation in a default pathway to become glialprecursor cells (GPCs). This spontaneous differentiation can beattenuated by ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). GPCs willdifferentiate into the glial cells, which differentiation is promoted byEGF. Alternatively, NSCs can be instructed by EPO and/or PACAP/cAMP todifferentiate to neuronal precursor cells (NPCs), which make neuronsonly.

Therefore, a two-step process can be used to produce neurons or glialcells: (1) increasing the number of NSCs; and (2) promotingdifferentiation of the NSCs to either neurons or glial cells bysubjecting the NSCs to appropriate conditions which selectively promotesproduction of neurons or glial cells.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides a method forproducing neuronal precursor cells or glial precursor cells, comprising:

-   -   (a) providing at least one neural stem cell;    -   (b) contacting the neural stem cell with a factor selected from        the group consisting of prolactin, growth hormone, estrogen,        ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), pituitary adenylate cyclase        activating polypeptide (PACAP), fibroblast growth factor (FGF),        transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα) and epidermal growth        factor (EGF) in an amount sufficient to increase the number of        neural stem cells; and    -   (c) contacting the neural stem cells from step (b) to a factor        selected from the group consisting of erythropoietin (EPO),        PACAP, prolactin, serotonin, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)        and cAMP in an amount sufficient to enhance the production of        neuronal precursor cells or glial precursor cells from the        neural stem cells;    -   with the proviso that when the factor in step (b) is EGF or FGF,        the factor in step (c) is PACAP or prolactin.

Thus, step (b) is performed to increase the number of neural stem cells,which can be achieved by at least one of the following:

-   -   (i) increasing proliferation of the neural stem cell, such as by        providing EGF;    -   (ii) inhibiting spontaneous differentiation of the neural stem        cell, such as by providing CNTF; or    -   (iii) promoting survival of the neural stem cell, such as by        providing an estrogen.

These two steps, increasing NSCs numbers and enhancing neuron or gliaproduction, may be performed sequentially or concurrently. It ispreferable that step (b) is performed prior to step (c).

The factors can be provided by any method established in the art. Forexample, they can be administered intravascularly, intrathecally,intravenously, intramuscularly, subcutaneously, intraperitoneally,topically, orally, rectally, vaginally, nasally, by inhalation or intothe brain. The administration is preferably performed systemically,particularly by subcutaneous administration. The factors can also beprovided by administering to the mammal an effective amount of an agentthat can increase the amount of endogenous factors in the mammal. Forexample, the level of prolactin in an animal can be increased by usingprolactin releasing peptide.

When the factors are not directly delivered into the brain, a bloodbrain barrier permeabilizer can be optionally included to facilitateentry into the brain. Blood brain barrier permeabilizers are known inthe art and include, by way of example, bradykinin and the bradykininagonists described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,686,416; 5,506,206 and 5,268,164(such asNH₂-arginine-proline-hydroxyproxyproline-glycine-thienylalanine-serine-proline-4-Me-tyrosineΨ(CH₂NH)-arginine-COOH).Alternatively, the factors can be conjugated to the transferrin receptorantibodies as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,508; 6,015,555; 5,833,988or 5,527,527. The factors can also be delivered as a fusion proteincomprising the factor and a ligand that is reactive with a braincapillary endothelial cell receptor, such as the transferrin receptor(see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,977,307).

Although mammals of all ages can be subjected to this method, it ispreferable that the mammal is not an embryo. More preferably, the mammalis an adult.

The mammal may suffer from or be suspected of having a neurodegenerativedisease or condition. The disease or condition may be a brain injury,such as stroke or an injury caused by a brain surgery. The disease orcondition may be aging, which is associated with a significant reductionin the number of neural stem cells. The disease or condition can also bea neurodegenerative disease, particularly Alzheimer's disease, multiplesclerosis, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, orParkinson's disease.

Alternatively, the neural stem cell may be in a culture in vitro. Thecell may be from an animal of any age. Preferably, the animal is not anembryo, and most preferably the animal is an adult.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of treating orameliorating a neurodegenerative disease or medical condition,comprising (a) administering to a mammal a factor which is capable ofincreasing the number of neural stem cells; and (b) subjecting themammal to a condition which enhances the production of a lineagerestricted cell; whereby production of the lineage restricted cell isenhanced. For example, neurons can be produced to compensate for lost ormalfunctioning neurons by administering EGF and EPO. Other factors whichare capable of increasing the number of NSCs, such as CNTF, FGF,prolactin, growth hormone, IGF-1, PACAP or estrogen, can also be usedinstead of EGF or in addition to EGF. Likewise, other factors which canenhance neuron production, such as PACAP or factors which increases cAMPlevel, can be used in the place of EPO or in addition to EPO.

To produce glial cells to compensate for lost or malfunctioning glialcells, EGF can be administered, which stimulates NSC proliferation, andthe resulting NSC will differentiate to glial cells by default.Optionally, inhibitors of the neuronal pathway, such as antibodies ofEPO and cAMP signaling inhibitors, can be used to promote glialproduction. Preferably, a factor that promotes glial formation, such asBMP, is also used to further produce glial cells.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 diagrams a model for neurogenesis and gliogenesis by neural stemcells (NSCs). EGF (or its adult homolog TGFα) induces theself-renewal/expansion of the NSC population. The NSCs will undergospontaneous differentiation as a default pathway to become glialprecursor cells (GPCs). This spontaneous differentiation can beattenuated by CNTF. GPCs differentiate into astrocytes and/oroligodentrocytes, which differentiation is promoted by EGF.Alternatively, NSCs can be instructed by EPO and/or PACAP/cAMP todifferentiate to neuronal precursor cells (NPCs), which make neuronsonly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method of selectively producing neuralcells, including neurons or glial cells, in vitro or in vivo. Alsoprovided are methods of treating or ameliorating neurodegenerativedisease or medical conditions by producing neural cells. Thus, acombination of factors is used to achieve two steps: increasing thenumber of neural stem cells and instructing the neural stem cells toselectively become neurons or glial cells.

Prior to describing the invention in further detail, the terms used inthis application are defined as follows unless otherwise indicated.

DEFINITIONS

A “neural stem cell” is a stem cell in the neural cell lineage. A stemcell is a cell which is capable of reproducing itself. In other words,daughter cells which result from stem cell divisions include stem cells.The neural stem cells are capable of ultimately differentiating into allthe cell types in the neural cell lineage, including neurons, astrocytesand oligodendrocytes (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes are collectivelycalled glia or glial cells). Thus, the neural stem cells referred toherein are multipotent neural stem cells.

A “neurosphere” is a group of cells derived from a single neural stemcell as the result of clonal expansion. A “primary neurosphere” refersto the neurospheres generated by plating as primary cultures braintissue which contains neural stem cells. The method for culturing neuralstem cells to form neurospheres has been described in, for example, U.S.Pat. No. 5,750,376. A “secondary neurosphere” refers to the neurospheresgenerated by dissociating primary neurospheres and allowing theindividual dissociated cells to form neurospheres again.

A “neural cell” is any cell in the neural lineage. Preferably a neuralcell is a neuron or glial cell.

A polypeptide which shares “substantial sequence similarity” with anative factor is at least about 30% identical with the native factor atthe amino acid level. The polypeptide is preferably at least about 40%,more preferably at least about 60%, yet more preferably at least about70%, and most preferably at least about 80% identical with the nativefactor at the amino acid level.

The phrase “percent identity” or “% identity” of an analog or variantwith a native factor refers to the percentage of amino acid sequence inthe native factor which are also found in the analog or variant when thetwo sequences are aligned. Percent identity can be determined by anymethods or algorithms established in the art, such as LALIGN or BLAST.

A polypeptide possesses a “biological activity” of a native factor if itis capable of binding to the receptor for the native factor or beingrecognized by a polyclonal antibody raised against the native factor.Preferably, the polypeptide is capable of specifically binding to thereceptor for the native factor in a receptor binding assay.

A “functional agonist” of a native factor is a compound that binds toand activates the receptor of the native factor, although it does notnecessarily share a substantial sequence similarity with the nativefactor.

A “prolactin” is a polypeptide which (1) shares substantial sequencesimilarity with a native mammalian prolactin, preferably the nativehuman prolactin, a 199-amino acid polypeptide synthesized mainly in thepituitary gland; and (2) possesses a biological activity of the nativemammalian prolactin. Thus, the term “prolactin” encompasses prolactinanalogs which are the deletional, insertional, or substitutional mutantsof the native prolactin. Furthermore, the term “prolactin” encompassesthe prolactins from other species and the naturally occurring variantsthereof.

In addition, a “prolactin” may also be a functional agonist of a nativemammalian prolactin receptor. For example, the functional agonist may bean activating amino acid sequence disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,031for the prolactin receptor; a metal complexed receptor ligand withagonist activities for the prolactin receptor (U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,952);G120RhGH, which is an analog of human growth hormone but acts as aproactin agonist (Mode et al., 1996); or a ligand for the prolactinreceptor as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,506,107 and 5,837,460.

An “EGF” means a native EGF or any EGF analog or variant that shares asubstantial amino acid sequence similarity with a native EGF, as well asat least one biological activity with the native EGF, such as binding tothe EGF receptor. Particularly included as an EGF is the native EGF ofany species, TGFA, or recombinant modified EGF. Specific examplesinclude, but are not limited to, the recombinant modified EGF having adeletion of the two C-terminal amino acids and a neutral amino acidsubstitution at position 51 (particularly EGF51gln51; U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 20020098178A1), the EGF mutein (EGF-X₁₆) inwhich the His residue at position 16 is replaced with a neutral oracidic amino acid (U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,106), the 52-amino acid deletionmutant of EGF which lacks the amino terminal residue of the native EGF(EGF-D), the EGF deletion mutant in which the N-terminal residue as wellas the two C-terminal residues (Arg-Leu) are deleted (EGF-B), the EGF-Din which the Met residue at position 21 is oxidized (EGF-C), the EGF-Bin which the Met residue at position 21 is oxidized (EGF-A),heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF), betacellulin,amphiregulin, neuregulin, or a fusion protein comprising any of theabove. Other useful EGF analogs or variants are described in U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 20020098178A1, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,191,106and 5,547,935.

In addition, an “EGF” may also be a functional agonist of a nativemnammalian EGF receptor. For example, the functional agonist may be anactivating amino acid sequence disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,031 forthe EGF receptor, or an antibody that has agonist activities for the EGFreceptor (Fernandez-Pol, 1985 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,115).

A “PACAP” means a native PACAP or any PACAP analog or variant thatshares a substantial amino acid sequence similarity with a native PACAP,as well as at least one biological activity with the native PACAP, suchas binding to the PACAP receptor. Useful PACAP analogs and variantsinclude, without being limited to, the 38 amino acid and the 27 aminoacid variants of PACAP (PACAP38 and PACAP27, respectively), and theanalogs and variants disclosed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,128,242;5,198,542; 5,208,320; 5,326,860; 5,623,050; 5,801,147 and 6,242,563.

In addition, a “PACAP” may also be a functional agonist of a nativemammalian PACAP receptor. For example, the functional agonist may bemaxadilan, a polypeptide that acts as a specific agonist of the PACAPtype-1 receptor (Moro et al., 1997).

An “erythropoietin (EPO)” means a native EPO or any EPO analog orvariant that shares a substantial amino acid sequence similarity with anative EPO, as well as at least one biological activity with the nativeEPO, such as binding to the EPO receptor. Erythropoietin analogs andvariants are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,048,971 and5,614,184.

In addition, an “EPO” may also be a functional agonist of a nativemammalian EPO receptor. For example, the functional agonist may be EMP1(EPO mimetic peptide 1, Johnson et al., 2000); one of the short peptidemimetics of EPO as described in Wrighton et al., 1996 and U.S. Pat. No.5,773,569; any small molecular EPO mimetic as disclosed in Kaushansky,2001; an antibody that activates the EPO receptor as described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,885,574, WO 96/40231, WO 97/48729, Fernandez-Pol, 1985 orU.S. Pat. No. 5,723,115; an activating amino acid sequence as disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,031 for the EPO receptor; a metal complexedreceptor ligand with agonist activities for the EPO receptor (U.S. Pat.No. 6,413,952), or a ligand for the EPO receptor as described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,506,107 and 5,837,460.

“Enhancing” or “promoting” the formation of a cell type means increasingthe number of the cell type. Thus, a factor can be used to enhanceneuron formation if the number of neurons in the presence of the factoris larger than the number of neurons absent the factor. The number ofneurons in the absence of the factor may be zero or more.

A “neurodegenerative disease or condition” is a disease or medicalcondition associated with neuron loss or dysfunction. Examples ofneurodegenerative diseases or conditions include neurodegenerativediseases, brain injuries or CNS dysfunctions. Neurodegenerative diseasesinclude, for example, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS),macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, peripheralneuropathy, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, andParkinson's disease. Brain injuries include, for example, stroke (e.g.,hemorrhagic stroke, focal ischemic stroke or global ischemic stroke) andtraumatic brain injuries (e.g. injuries caused by a brain surgery orphysical accidents). CNS dysfunctions include, for example, depression,epilepsy, neurosis and psychosis.

“Treating or ameliorating” means the reduction or complete removal ofthe symptoms of a disease or medical condition.

A mammal “suspected of having a neurodegenerative disease or condition”is a mammal which is not officially diagnosed with the neurodegenerativedisease or condition but shows a symptom of the neurodegenerativedisease or condition, is susceptible to the neurodegenerative disease orcondition due to family history or genetic predisposition, or haspreviously had the neurodegenerative disease or condition and is subjectto the risk of recurrence.

“Transplanting” a composition into a mammal refers to introducing thecomposition into the body of the mammal by any method established in theart. The composition being introduced is the “transplant”, and themammal is the “recipient”. The transplant and the recipient may besyngeneic, allogeneic or xenogeneic. Preferably, the transplantation isan autologous transplantation.

An “effective amount” is an amount of a therapeutic agent sufficient toachieve the intended purpose. For example, an effective amount of afactor to increase the number of neural stem cells is an amountsufficient, in vivo or in vitro, as the case may be, to result in anincrease in neural stem cell number. An effective amount of acomposition to treat or ameliorate a neurodegenerative disease orcondition is an amount of the composition sufficient to reduce or removethe symptoms of the neurodegenerative disease or condition. Theeffective amount of a given therapeutic agent will vary with factorssuch as the nature of the agent, the route of administration, the sizeand species of the animal to receive the therapeutic agent, and thepurpose of the administration. The effective amount in each individualcase may be determined empirically by a skilled artisan according toestablished methods in the art.

Methods

Neural stem cells (NSCs), such as the ones found in the adult forebrain,are the likely source of restricted neuronal and glial progenitors,which repopulate structures such as the olfactory bulb and corpuscallosum, respectively. The mechanisms by which NSCs give rise torestricted progenitors have been unclear prior to this invention.

We found that EGF-responsive NSCs gradually become restricted to a gliallineage. This process is blocked by CNTF, acting through notch1, tomaintain NSCs in a multipotent stage. We also found that erythropoietin(EPO) directs the production of restricted neuronal precursors through amechanism that utilizes Mash1.

Thus, we infused either CNTF or EPO into the lateral ventricles of adultmice for six days, after which we either removed the entire adultependyma/subependyma to examine the total number of EGF-responsive NSCsor examined the in vivo production of neuronal precursors. CNTF infusionresulted in a 20-25% increase in the number of NSCs, most likely bypreventing NSC differentiation into glial precursors. EPO infusionresulted in a 50% reduction in the number of NSCs and a concomitantdoubling in neuronal precursors. Infusion of anti-EPO antibodiesresulted in a 20% increase in NSCs. Therefore, EGF-responsive NSCs turnover continuously in vivo, a sub-population of which spontaneouslydifferentiates into restricted glial precursors, while anothersub-population is directed to the neuronal restricted linage by EPO.

This mechanism is illustrated in FIG. 1. Thus, EGF (or its adult homologTGFα) induces the self-renewal/expansion of the NSC population. The NSCsundergo spontaneous differentiation as a default pathway to become glialprecursor cells (GPCs), which differentiate into glial cells. Thisspontaneous differentiation can be attenuated by CNTF. Alternatively,NSCs can be instructed by EPO and/or PACAP/cAMP to differentiate toneuronal precursor cells (NPCs), which make neurons only.

Based on this mechanism, we developed a two-step method to produceneural cells. The first step is to increase the number of neural stemcells, which can be achieved by, for example, proliferating neural stemcells (e.g., by EGF, FGF-1, FGF-2, TGFα, estrogen, prolactin, PACAP,growth hormone, and/or IGF-1), inhibiting spontaneous differentiation ofneural stem cells (e.g., by CNTF), and/or promoting survival of neuralstem cells (e.g., by estrogen). The second step is to enhance neuronalor glial formation from neural stem cells. For example, erythropoietin,prolactin, serotonin, PACAP and/or cyclic AMP can be used to enhanceneuron formation, while bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) can be used toenhance glial formation.

The present method can be used in vivo or in vitro. In vitro, thepresent invention will result in large quantities of neural cells, whichcan be used in research or therapeutical purposes. In particular, theneural cells can be used in transplantation treatment forneurodegenerative diseases or conditions. In vivo, the present methodcan increase the number of neural stem cells in situ, and enhanceneuronal or glial formation from the enlarged pool of neural stem cells.The resulting neural cells can migrate to appropriate places in thenervous system to enhance neurological functions, or compensate for lostor dysfunctional neural cells. In addition, the in vivo and in vitroapplications can be combined. Thus, neural cells, particularly neuralstem cells produced by the present method in vitro, can be transplantedinto an animal, and factors of the second step can be provided to theanimal to enhance differentiation of neural cells in vivo. Optionally,factors of the first step may be provided to the animal as well tofurther increase the number of neural stem cells that can besubsequently turned to neurons or glial cells.

One particularly interesting neurodegenerative condition is aging. Wehave found that the number of neural stem cells in the subventricularzone is significantly reduced in aged mice. Accordingly, it will be ofparticular interest to ameliorate problems associated with aging by thepresent invention.

In addition, the neural stem cell in the subventricular zone is thesource of olfactory neurons, and olfactory dysfunction is a hallmark offorebrain neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson'sand Huntington's diseases. Disruption of neuronal migration to theolfactory bulb leads to deficits in olfactory discrimination, anddoubling the new olfactory interneuons enhances new odor memory(Rochefort et al., 2002). Therefore, the present invention can be usedto enhance olfactory discrimination or olfactory memory, as well asphysiological functions that are associated with olfaction and olfactorydiscrimination, such as mating, offspring recognition and rearing.

Another particularly important application of the present invention isthe treatment and/or amelioration of brain injuries, such as stroke(Example 2). A brain injury mimicking a stroke was introduced into themotor cortex of rats, and the injured rats showed abnormal behavioralconducts that correlated with the location of the injury. The rats thenreceived prolactin or growth hormone for 7 days, both of which canincrease neural stem cell proliferation. Subsequently, the rats receiveda vehicle control or erythropoietin for 7 days to enhance neuronformation. The rats were then observed for a period of time forbehavioral testing, and sacrificed for anatomical analysis.

The results indicate that both prolactin and growth hormone treatmentsled to an improvement of motor functions in the injured rats. Theaddition of erythropoietin further enhanced the effect, particularlywhen combined with prolactin. The anatomical analysis also shows thatthe number of migrating neurons and/or neural stem cells was increasedby every treatment comprising prolactin or growth hormone. In fact, thecombination of prolactin and erythropoietin even resulted in complete orpartial filling of the cavities created by the brain injury in amajority of the rats. Therefore, these factors, particular combinationsof which, can be used to produce neural cells and restore neurologicalfunctions in animals with brain injuries.

An intriguing observation is that prolactin and growth hormone led tothe restoration of different behavioral functions. Thus, the ratsrecovered from asymmetrical forelimb usage in balancing after receivinggrowth hormone, while prolactin acted to correct abnormal positioning ofthe forelimb during swimming. Therefore, different factors may lead todifferent cellular migration patterns or the production of differentcells, which participate in different neural functions. Accordingly, itis preferable that multiple factors are combined in the treatment ofdiseases or conditions that have complicated symptoms. Preferredcombinations include:

-   (a) prolactin and at least one factor that enhances neuronal or    glial differentiation, such as EPO, PACAP, cyclic AMP and/or BMP;-   (b) EGF and at least one factor that enhances neuronal or glial    differentiation, such as prolactin, EPO, PACAP, cyclic AMP and/or    BMP, particularly prolactin and/or PACAP;-   (c) at least one factor that increases neural stem cell number in    conjunction with prolactin;-   (d) at least one factor that increases neural stem cell number in    conjunction with PACAP;-   (e) at least one factor that increases neural stem cell number in    conjunction with EPO; and-   (f) combinations of the above.

Particularly preferred combinations include EGF and EPO, EGF andprolactin, EGF and PACAP, EGF and growth hormone (and/or IGF-1), EGF andprolactin and growth hormone (and/or IGF-1), EGF and prolactin andPACAP, prolactin and growth hormone (and/or IGF-1), prolactin and growthhormone (and/or IGF-1) and EPO, prolactin and PACAP and growth hormone(and/or IGF-1). Most preferred combinations include EGF and PACAP, EGFand prolactin, and prolactin and PACAP. Preferably, FGF is not used.

Compositions

The present invention provides compositions comprising at least onefactor that is capable of increasing neural stem cell numbers and atleast one factor that is capable of enhancing differentiation of neuralstem cells. It should be noted that some factors are capable of bothfunctions, such prolactin. PACAP, in addition to enhancing neuronaldifferentiation, also enhances proliferation of neural stem cells in thepresence of another mitogen.

The factors that are useful in the present invention include theiranalogs and variants that share a substantial similarity and at leastone biological activity with the native factors. For example, althoughthe major form of prolactin found in the pituitary gland has a molecularweight of 23 kDa, variants of prolactin have been characterized in manymammals, including humans. Prolactin variants can result fromalternative splicing of the primary transcript, proteolytic cleavage andother post-translational modifications. A prolactin variant of 137 aminoacids has been described in the anterior pituitary, which is likely tobe a product of alternative splicing. A variety of proteolytic productsof prolactin have been characterized, particularly the 14-, 16- and22-kDa prolactin variants, all of which appear to be prolactin fragmentstruncated at the C-terminus. Other post-translational modificationreported for prolactin include dimerization, polymerization,phosphorylation, glycosylation, sulfation and deamidation.

The prolactin useful in the present invention includes any prolactinanalog, variant or prolactin-related protein which is capable ofincreasing neural stem cell number. A prolactin analog or variant is apolypeptide which contains at least about 30% of the amino acid sequenceof the native human prolactin, and which possesses a biological activityof prolactin. Preferably, the biological activity of prolactin is theability to bind prolactin receptors. Although several isoforms of theprolactin receptor have been isolated, for example the long,intermediate and short forms in rat, the isoforms share the sameextracellular domain which binds prolactin. Therefore, any receptorisoform can be used to assay for prolactin binding activity.Specifically included as prolactins are the naturally occurringprolactin variants, prolactin-related protein, placental lactogens,S179D-human prolactin (Bernichtein et al., 2001), prolactins fromvarious mammalian species, including but not limited to, human, otherprimates, rat, mouse, sheep, pig, and cattle, and the prolactin mutantsdescribed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,429,186 and 5,955,346.

Similarly, in addition to native EGF, an EGF analog or variant can alsobe used, which should share a substantial amino acid sequence similaritywith the native EGF, as well as at least one biological activity withthe native EGF, such as binding to the EGF receptor. Particularlyincluded as an EGF is the native EGF of any species, TGFα, orrecombinant modified EGF. Specific examples include, but are not limitedto, the recombinant modified EGF having a deletion of the two C-terminalamino acids and a neutral amino acid substitution at position 51(particularly EGF51gln51; U.S. Patent Application Publication No.20020098178A1), the EGF mutein (EGF-X₁₆) in which the His residue atposition 16 is replaced with a neutral or acidic amino acid (U.S. Pat.No. 6,191,106), the 52-amino acid deletion mutant of EGF which lacks theamino terminal residue of the native EGF (EGF-D), the EGF deletionmutant in which the N-terminal residue as well as the two C-terminalresidues (Arg-Leu) are deleted (EGF-B), the EGF-D in which the Metresidue at position 21 is oxidized (EGF-C), the EGF-B in which the Metresidue at position 21 is oxidized (EGF-A), heparin-binding EGF-likegrowth factor (HB-EGF), betacellulin, amphiregulin, neuregulin, or afusion protein comprising any of the above. Other useful EGF analogs orvariants are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No.20020098178A1, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,191,106 and 5,547,935.

As another example, useful PACAP analogs and variants include, withoutbeing limited to, the 38 amino acid and the 27 amino acid variants ofPACAP (PACAP38 and PACAP27, respectively), and the analogs and variantsdisclosed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,128,242; 5,198,542; 5,208,320;5,326,860; 5,623,050; 5,801,147 and 6,242,563.

Erythropoietin analogs and variants are disclosed, for example, in U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,048,971 and 5,614,184.

Further contemplated in the present invention are functional agonists ofprolactin or additional factors useful in the present invention. Thesefunctional agonists bind to and activate the receptor of the nativefactor, although they do not necessarily share a substantial sequencesimilarity with the native factor. For example, maxadilan is apolypeptide that acts as a specific agonist of the PACAP type-1 receptor(Moro et al., 1997).

Functional agonists of EPO have been extensively studied. EMP1 (EPOmimetic peptide 1) is one of the EPO mimetics described in Johnson etal., 2000. Short peptide mimetics of EPO are described in, e.g.,Wrighton et al., 1996 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,569. Small molecular EPOmimetics are disclosed in, e.g., Kaushansky, 2001. Antibodies thatactivate the EPO receptor are described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No.5,885,574; WO 96/40231 and WO 97/48729).

Antibodies that have agonist activities for the EGF receptor aredescribed, e.g., in Fernandez-Pol, 1985 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,723,115. Inaddition, activating amino acid sequences are also disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 6,333,031 for the EPO receptor, EGF receptor, prolactinreceptor and many other cell surface receptors; metal complexed receptorligands with agonist activities for the prolactin and EPO receptors canbe found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,952. Other methods of identifying andpreparing ligands for receptors, e.g., EPO and prolactin receptors, aredescribed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,506,107 and 5,837,460.

It should be noted that the effective amount of each analog, variant orfunctional agonist may be different from that for the native factor orcompound, and the effective amount in each case can be determined by aperson of ordinary skill in the art according to the disclosure herein.Preferably, the native factors, or analogs and variants that sharesubstantial sequence similarity with the native factors, are used in thepresent invention.

Pharmaceutical compositions are also provided, comprising the factors asdescribed above, and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient and/orcarrier.

The pharmaceutical compositions can be delivered via any route known inthe art, such as parenterally, intrathecally, intravascularly,intravenously, intramuscularly, transdermally, intradermally,subcutaneously, intranasally, topically, orally, rectally, vaginally,pulmonarily or intraperitoneally. Preferably, the composition isdelivered into the central nervous system by injection or infusion. Morepreferably it is delivered into a ventricle of the brain, particularlythe lateral ventricle. Alternatively, the composition is preferablydelivered by systemic routes, such as subcutaneous administration. Forexample, we have discovered that prolactin, growth hormone, IGF-1, PACAPand EPO can be effectively delivered by subcutaneous administration tomodulate the number of neural stem cells in the subventricular zone.

When the composition is not directly delivered into the brain, andfactors in the composition do not readily cross the blood brain barrier,a blood brain barrier permeabilizer can be optionally included tofacilitate entry into the brain. Blood brain barrier permeabilizers areknown in the art and include, by way of example, bradykinin and thebradykinin agonists described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,686,416; 5,506,206 and5,268,164 (such asNH₂-arginine-proline-hydroxyproxyproline-glycine-thienylalanine-serine-proline-4-Me-tyrosineΨ(CH₂NH)-arginine-COOH).Alternatively, the factors can be conjugated to the transferrin receptorantibodies as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,329,508; 6,015,555; 5,833,988or 5,527,527. The factors can also be delivered as a fusion proteincomprising the factor and a ligand that is reactive with a braincapillary endothelial cell receptor, such as the transferrin receptor(see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,977,307).

The pharmaceutical compositions can be prepared by mixing the desiredtherapeutic agents with an appropriate vehicle suitable for the intendedroute of administration. In making the pharmaceutical compositions ofthis invention, the therapeutic agents are usually mixed with anexcipient, diluted by an excipient or enclosed within such a carrierwhich can be in the form of a capsule, sachet, paper or other container.When the pharmaceutically acceptable excipient serves as a diluent, itcan be a solid, semi-solid, or liquid material, which acts as a vehicle,carrier or medium for the therapeutic agent. Thus, the compositions canbe in the form of tablets, pills, powders, lozenges, sachets, cachets,elixirs, suspensions, emulsions, solutions, syrups, aerosols (as a solidor in a liquid medium), ointments containing, for example, up to 10% byweight of the therapeutic agents, soft and hard gelatin capsules,suppositories, sterile injectable solutions, and sterile packagedpowders.

Some examples of suitable excipients include artificial cerebral spinalfluid, lactose, dextrose, sucrose, sorbitol, mannitol, starches, gumacacia, calcium phosphate, alginates, tragacanth, gelatin, calciumsilicate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, cellulose,sterile water, syrup, and methyl cellulose. The formulations canadditionally include: lubricating agents such as talc, magnesiumstearate, and mineral oil; wetting agents; emulsifying and suspendingagents; preserving agents such as methyl- and propylhydroxy-benzoates;sweetening agents; and flavoring agents. The compositions of theinvention can be formulated so as to provide quick, sustained or delayedrelease of the therapeutic agents after administration to the patient byemploying procedures known in the art.

For preparing solid compositions such as tablets, the therapeutic agentis mixed with a pharmaceutical excipient to form a solid preformulationcomposition containing a homogeneous mixture of a compound of thepresent invention. When referring to these preformulation compositionsas homogeneous, it is meant that the therapeutic agents are dispersedevenly throughout the composition so that the composition may be readilysubdivided into equally effective unit dosage forms such as tablets,pills and capsules.

The tablets or pills of the present invention may be coated or otherwisecompounded to provide a dosage form affording the advantage of prolongedaction. For example, the tablet or pill can comprise an inner dosage andan outer dosage component, the latter being in the form of an envelopeover the former. The two components can be separated by an enteric layerwhich serves to resist disintegration in the stomach and permit theinner component to pass intact into the duodenum or to be delayed inrelease. A variety of materials can be used for such enteric layers orcoatings, such materials including a number of polymeric acids andmixtures of polymeric acids with such materials as shellac, cetylalcohol, and cellulose acetate.

The liquid forms in which the novel compositions of the presentinvention may be incorporated for administration orally or by injectioninclude aqueous solutions, suitably flavored syrups, aqueous or oilsuspensions, and flavored emulsions with edible oils such as corn oil,cottonseed oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, or peanut oil, as well aselixirs and similar pharmaceutical vehicles.

Compositions for inhalation or insufflation include solutions andsuspensions in pharmaceutically acceptable, aqueous or organic solvents,or mixtures thereof, and powders. The liquid or solid compositions maycontain suitable pharmaceutically acceptable excipients as describedherein. The compositions are administered by the oral or nasalrespiratory route for local or systemic effect. Compositions inpreferably pharmaceutically acceptable solvents may be nebulized by useof inert gases. Nebulized solutions may be inhaled directly from thenebulizing device or the nebulizing device may be attached to a facemask tent, or intermittent positive pressure breathing machine.Solution, suspension, or powder compositions may be administered,preferably orally or nasally, from devices which deliver the formulationin an appropriate manner.

Another formulation employed in the methods of the present inventionemploys transdermal delivery devices (“patches”). Such transdermalpatches may be used to provide continuous or discontinuous infusion ofthe therapeutic agent of the present invention in controlled amounts.The construction and use of transdermal patches for the delivery ofpharmaceutical agents is well known in the art. See, for example, U.S.Pat. No. 5,023,252, herein incorporated by reference. Such patches maybe constructed for continuous, pulsatile, or on demand delivery ofpharmaceutical agents.

Other suitable formulations for use in the present invention can befound in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The following abbreviations have the following meanings. Abbreviationsnot defined have their generally accepted meanings.

EGF=epidermal growth factor

PDGF=platelet derived growth factor

DMSO=dimethylsulfoxide

CNTF=ciliary neurotrophic factor

EPO=erythropoietin

NSC=neural stem cell

GPC=glial precursor cell

NPC=neuronal precursor cell

PACAP=pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide

cAMP=cyclic AMP

Materials and Methods Neural Stem Cell Culture

The protocols for neural stem cell culture are described in detail inU.S. Pat. No. 5,750,376 or Shingo et al., 2001. Briefly, embryonicneural stem cells were prepared from E14 medial and lateral ganglioniceminences. Adult neural stem cells were prepared from the subventricularzone of adult mice. The tissue was cultured in basal medium containing20 ng/ml EGF, or other growth factors as indicated in each case, to formneurospheres. The composition of the basal medium is as follows:DMEM/F12 (1:1); glucose (0.6%); glutamine (2 mM); sodium bicarbonate (3mM); HEPES (5 mM); insulin (25 μg/ml); transferrin (100 μg/ml);progesterone (20 mM); putrescine (60 μM); and selenium chloride (30 nM).

Seven days later, the neurospheres (primary neurospheres) were passagedby mechanical dissociation and reseeded as single cells (passage 1). Forsecondary neurospheres, the single cells were then cultured for sevendays to form secondary neurospheres.

Infusion of Growth Factors

Two-month-old CD-1 mice (Charles-River, Laval, Quebec, Canada) wereanesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (120 mg/kg, i.p.) and implantedwith an osmotic pump (Alzet 1007D; Alza Corporation, Palo Alto, Calif.).The cannula was located in the right lateral ventricle(antero-posterior+0.2 mm, lateral+0.8 mm to bregma, and dorsoventral−2.5 mm below dura with the skull leveled between lambda and bregma).Human recombinant EPO (1000 I U/ml), rabbit anti-EPO neutralizingantibody (100 μg/ml), rabbit IgG (100 μg/ml), rat recombinant CNTF (33μg/ml), or human recombinant EGF (33 μg/ml) was dissolved in 0.9% salinecontaining 1 mg/ml mouse serum albumin (Sigma). Each animal was infusedfor 6 consecutive days at a flow rate of 0.5 μl/hr, resulting in adelivery of about 25 IU of EPO, 3 μg of antibodies, or 400 ng of CNTF orEGF per day.

Test Animals for the Stroke Study

Adult male Long-Evans rats (250-350 g) were obtained from Charles RiverBreeding Farms and were adapted to the colony for two weeks prior to anytreatment. A week before surgery the rats were given a baseline testingon the behavioral tests.

Focal Ischemic Injury and Infusion

The animals for the stroke study received unilateral devascularizationof the sensorimotor cortex. Using Isoflurane anesthesia, the skin wasincised and retracted and the overlying fascia were removed from theskull. A skull opening was made at the following coordinates, takingcare not to damage the dura: AP +4.0 to −2.0; L 1.5 to 4 (theparasagittal ridge; Kolb et al., 1997). The dura was cut and retractedfrom the skull opening. A cotton swab soaked in sterile saline wasgently rubbed across the exposed pia and the vessels were removed. Ahole was then drilled in the contralateral hemisphere to provide anopening for the cannulae attached to the osmotic minipump at AP-0.5; L1.5. An osmotic minipump was placed under the skin between the shoulderblades and a tube connected under the skin to the cannulae, which wasattached to the skull with fast-drying cement. Once hemostasis had beenachieved the scalp was sutured closed with 5-O sterile suture. Theanimals were given a single injection of Banamine (an analgesic) andreturned to their home cage. Sham animals received only anesthesia, thebone opening, and the skin was incised and sutured.

Six days later the animals were assessed using the behavioral test. Onthe following day the animals were re-anesthetized and the minipump wasreplaced with a second one containing the appropriate solutions. Shamanimals were only anesthetized. The animals were retested 7, 14, and 28days later to yield behavioral measures on weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.

Forelimb Inhibition Test

This test has been shown to constitute a sensitive measure of functionalintegrity of regions of anterior neocortex. In normal rats, swimming isaccomplished by propulsion from the hind limbs. The forelimbs arenormally inhibited from any stroking and are held immobile and togetherunder the animal's neck. Inhibition of the forelimbs was assessed byfilming animals while swimming. Animals were introduced into one end ofan aquarium (30 w×90 l×43 h cm) filled to a depth of 25 cm with roomtemperature water (˜25° C.) and filmed as they swim to a 9.5 cm squarevisible platform. This platform projects 2 cm above the surface of thewater and is positioned at the opposite end of the aquarium. Scoring ofinhibition was done by counting the number of strokes, if any, made byeach forelimb in three swims along the length of the aquarium. A swimwas deemed scorable only if the animal did not touch the sides of theaquarium during the swimming trial.

Forelimb Asymmetry Test

Forepaw asymmetry of the animals was determined by filming them frombelow while in an acrylic cylinder 25 cm in diameter, on an acrylicplatform. Preference was determined by separately counting the number oftimes in 5 minutes that an animal reared and placed the left or rightforepaw on the surface of the cylinder in a gesture of posturalstabilization. This test allows a measure of asymmetry in forelimb use,a measure that shows a reliable bias to using the limb ipsilateral tothe injury.

Brain Anatomical Analysis

At the conclusion of week 6 the animals were given an overdose ofEuthanol and intracardially perfused with 0.9% saline and 4%paraformaldehyde in picric acid. The brains were cryoprotected and cuton a Vibratome at 40 microns. Five sets of sections were kept every 400microns. Two sets were stained, one with Cresyl Violet and one withDoublecortin. The remaining sets were saved. The Cresyl Violet stainingwas performed on the slides whereas the Doublecortin was performed as animmunohistochemical procedure on free-floating sections. The CresylViolet staining allows assessment of lesion extent whereas theDoublecortin stains for a microtubule associated protein that is presentin migrating neuronal progenitor cells.

Example 1 The Effect of CNTF and EPO In Vivo

To determine the effect of CNTF and EPO in vivo, CNTF or EPO was infusedinto adult mice for six days as described in Materials and Methods. Thebrain tissue was then harvested and used to grow neural stem cells as anindication of the number of neural stem cells in the brain afterinfusion. Alternatively, the brain tissue was stained for tyrosinehydroxylase or Mash1 to determine the extent of neurogenesis.

As described in detail in Shimazaki et al., 2001, CNTF infusion led to asignificant increase of the number of primary neurospheres that can beobtained from the brain (about 25%). Moreover, confusion of EGF and CNTFincreased the number of neural stem cells by about 40%. Therefore, CNTFis capable of increasing neural stem cell numbers, particularly incombination with EGF. CNTF does not stimulate proliferation of neuralstem cells, however, as CNTF did not increase the number of BrdUpositive cells when BrdU was also given to the animals.

Since CNTF does not promote proliferation or survival of neural stemcells, we hypothesized that CNTF inhibits spontaneous differentiation ofneural stem cells. By spontaneously differentiating into alineage-restricted cell, neural stem cell will not be able toself-renew, and the number of neural stem cells will decrease while thenumber of differentiated cells increase. Therefore, if CNTF inhibitsthis spontaneous differentiation, a neurosphere produced in the presenceof CNTF should be more expandable and multipotent than a neurosphereproduced in its absence.

Accordingly, we compared the expandability and multipotency ofneurospheres that were produced in EGF alone or EGF plus CNTF. Forexpandability, pass 1 neurospheres were dissociated and replated atclonal density to generate pass 2 neurospheres, and the number of pass 2neurospheres that were derived from a single pass 1 sphere was counted.The results show that the pass 1 neurospheres generated in EGF plus CNTFled to significantly more pass 2 spheres, indicating that these pass 1spheres contained more expandable cells than spheres generated in EGFalone. For multipotency, the percentages of neuron, oligodendrocyte andastrocyte that could be derived from each neurosphere were determined,and the results show that neurospheres produced in EGF alone generated 4times as many glial cells than those produced in EGF plus CNTF.Therefore, neural stem cells differentiate to glial cells by default,which can be inhibited by CNTF.

EPO, on the other hand, reduced the number of neural stem cells by about50% and increased neurogenesis. Therefore, even though neural stem cellsspontaneously differentiate to the glial lineage, a portion of neuralstem cells can be induced to form neuronal progenitor cells by EPO.Furthermore, infusion of anti-EPO antibodies, but not non-specific IgG,led to an increase of neural stem cells, indicating that there is anon-going neurogenesis process in vivo that involves EPO.

Example 2 The Effect of Factor Combinations in a Stroke Model

In order to determine the effect of various combinations of factors inanimals that suffer a brain injury, focal ischemic injuries wereintroduced into the brains of rats as a model of stroke. As a result ofthe brain injury, the animals had lesions in the motor cortex andbehaved abnormally in two behavioral tests. One is the forelimbinhibition test, a sensitive measure of functional integrity of regionsof the anterior neocortex. Normal rats inhibit the use of forelimbs whenthey swim, but when one side of the motor cortex was injured in thisexperiment, the rats failed to inhibit the use of the contralateralforelimb as the motor cortex controls the contralateral side of thebody. In the other test, the forelimb asymmetry test, normal rats useboth forelimbs equally when they try to balance themselves. The injuredanimals, however, preferred to use the ipsilateral forelimb, presumablybecause they could not control their contralateral forelimbs.

The animals then received various test factors, and the effects of thesefactors on the forelimb inhibition test and brain anatomy were assessed.As controls, a sham control group received a sham brain injury and notest factors, and a vehicle control group received the brain injury aswell as infusions of artificial cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). Thetreatments each test group received are summarized below:

Second Infusion Group Brain Injury First Infusion (days 1-7) (days 8-14)1 sham none none 2 yes CSF CSF 3 yes prolactin CSF 4 yes prolactinerythropoietin (EPO) 5 yes growth hormone CSF 6 yes growth hormoneerythropoietin (EPO)

The schedule and procedure of the brain injury, infusion, behavioraltest and anatomical analysis are described in Materials and Methods.

A. The Effect of Prolactin and Prolactin Plus EPO

Before the brain injury, all rats inhibited both forepaws in theforelimb inhibition test, which is expected from normal rats. After theinjury, all ischemic groups (Groups 2-6) failed to inhibit thecontralateral forepaw, but they continued to inhibit the ipsilateralforepaw. Upon infusion of the test factors, the two prolactin groups(Groups 3 and 4) showed greater forepaw inhibition. In fact, by the endof the last week (4 weeks after completion of the infusions), theprolactin plus EPO group (Group 4) was indistinguishable from thecontrols. Therefore, prolactin, and particularly the combination ofprolactin and EPO, resulted in a recovery from a representative symptomof stroke.

Anatomically, the prolactin group showed a high degree of doublecortinstaining in the brain, indicating that prolactin induced extensiveneurogenesis. The rats in the prolactin plus EPO group had an expandedsubventricular zone, indicating a significant cell increase in thisarea. In addition, many doublecortin positive cells appeared in thelegioned area, white matter and the lateral ventricle. A stream ofdoublecortin positive cells could be observed between the subventricularzone and the lesioned area. Since doublecortin is a marker of migratingneuronal progenitor cells, these results indicate that neural stem cellsgave rise to neuronal progenitor cells upon treatment, and theprogenitor cells migrated to the lesioned area. The new growth in thelesioned area was so extensive that the cavities created by the ischemicinjury were completely or partially filled up in a majority of the ratsin this group. These anatomical results thus strongly support thebehavioral study that prolactin, or the combination of prolactin andEPO, can be used to treat brain injuries such as stroke.

B. The Effect of Growth Hormone and Growth Hormone Plus EPO

The results of the forelimb asymmetry test indicate that although theextent of asymmetry decreased at the end of week six in all the testgroups, the groups receiving growth hormone (Groups 3 and 4) showed afaster and more extensive recovery in the first four weeks. Theseresults are consistent with those from the anatomical analysis, whichshow that growth hormone alone (Group 3) resulted in increaseddoublecortin positive cells, and the combination of growth hormone andEPO (Growth 4) led to migration of doublecortin positive cells aroundthe lateral ventricle.

Accordingly, growth hormone, either alone or in conjunction with EPO,improved a motor neuron-related function in a stroke model as well asneuron formation/migration in the brain, indicating that growth hormonecan be used to treat or ameliorate brain injuries.

Thus, prolactin and the combination of prolactin and EPO improved themotor function of injured rats in the forelimb inhibition test but notthe forelimb asymmetry test, while growth hormone and its combinationwith EPO had the reversed effect. These results demonstrate thatdifferent factors can stimulate different neural pathways and enhancethe recovery of different neuronal circuits, indicating that it isimportant to combine various factors for a more complete and effectivetherapeutic result.

1. A method for producing neuronal precursor cells or glial precursor cells, comprising: (a) providing at least one neural stem cell; (b) contacting the neural stem cell with a factor selected from the group consisting of prolactin, growth hormone, estrogen, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in an amount sufficient to increase the number of neural stem cells; and (c) contacting the neural stem cells from step (b) to a factor selected from the group consisting of erythropoietin (EPO), pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), prolactin, serotonin, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and cAMP in an amount sufficient to enhance the production of neuronal precursor cells or glial precursor cells from the neural stem cells; with the proviso that when the factor in step (b) is EGF or FGF, the factor in step (c) is PACAP or prolactin.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) is performed prior to step (c).
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein steps (b) and (c) are performed concurrently.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural stem cell is not an embryonic cell.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural stem cell is an adult neural stem cell.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural stem cell is located in a mammal.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the neural stem cell is provided by transplanting neural stem cells into the mammal.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the transplanted neural stem cells have been expanded in culture prior to being transplanted into the mammal.
 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the transplanted neural stem cells are syngeneic with the mammal.
 10. The method of claim 6 wherein the neural stem cell is located in the subventricular zone of the forebrain of the mammal.
 11. The method of claim 6 wherein the mammal is suffering from or suspected of having a neurodegenerative disease or condition.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the disease or condition is brain injury.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the brain injury is a stroke.
 14. The method of claim 11 wherein the disease or condition is selected from the group consisting of Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease. 